


strange customs and online servers: the mediocre joys of customer service

by dreams_and_typewriters



Series: future turns to present and friend turns to partner [2]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Canon Compliant, M/M, Tiny bit angsty, and who do i adore and want to write about?, and who owns an electronics company?, author is anti capitalist and it SHOWS, haikyuu manga spoilers, hopefully kind of funny at some point?, i think, just like yams feels bad about himself, ok its a stretch but yams works for an electronics company right, our neighbourhood association boys show up in chap. 2, post timeskip haikyuu, probably?, takimada is a side ship but seriously i love them, takinoue yuusuke thats who, yams has to deal with karens and bitches about them
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-27
Updated: 2021-02-27
Packaged: 2021-03-18 04:35:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,145
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29728425
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dreams_and_typewriters/pseuds/dreams_and_typewriters
Summary: Yamaguchi Tadashi needs a job. To do that, he needs to receive offers, decide which ones to accept, and maybe hardest of all, actually turn up for work.In which Tsukishima helps Yamaguchi accept himself and a job offer, and Yamaguchi deals with the trials and tribulations of working in the customer service industry.
Relationships: Shimada Makoto/Takinoue Yuusuke, Tsukishima Kei & Yamaguchi Tadashi, Tsukishima Kei/Yamaguchi Tadashi
Series: future turns to present and friend turns to partner [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2184966
Kudos: 7





	strange customs and online servers: the mediocre joys of customer service

Yamaguchi turned his head slightly at the sound of his bedroom door opening. 

“Here’s some tea.” Tsukishima placed a mug down on the desk and took a glance at the hiring website Yamaguchi had been absent-mindedly scrolling through.

“Thank you,” Yamaguchi replied, taking a sip and giving a satisfied nod.

“So, how’s the job search going for you?” 

Yamaguchi sighed and shook his head. He’d been told how hard it was to get a job straight out of university, and he certainly hadn’t expected anything, but it felt impossible. “Takinoue said he’d hire me for his electronics shop,” he replied flatly. “I think Shimada talked him into it though, they probably just offered me it out of pity.”

“No, Shimada probably recommended you because he knows how hard you work.” Tsukishima’s voice was firm. “He’s watched you practice for hours, so he knows you’d be a model worker for his friend’s business.”

Yamaguchi sighed. “Heh. Maybe.”

Tsukishima frowned and ruffled his hair. “Stop stressing, Yamaguchi, I know you’ll find something. Have you got anything else back yet?”

Yamaguchi smiled softly at the confidence his boyfriend had in him, even if he couldn’t find much himself. “No, they’re all taking a while.” He sighed again. “Maybe I’m onto something with Takinoue, I could just beg people we know. You reckon Sakanoshita’s got any openings?” Yamaguchi gave a dry chuckle. 

“Well, apparently Tanaka Saeko-san’s always looking for help with the motorcycle shop,” Tsukishima suggested jokingly.

“Yeah, no way.”

There was a short pause. “Well, do you want to work at Takinoue-san’s shop?” Tsukishima asked. 

Yamaguchi shrugged. “I don’t know. The offer’s pretty good and honestly the job does sound interesting. I’m kind of into all that techy stuff as well.” He gave a nervous chuckle at that. “It’s just that… oh, I don't know,” he continued trailing off and shaking his head. “It’s stupid, don't worry.”

Tsukishima walked over and sat on the edge of the bed, tilting his head slightly. “No, go on, what’s bothering you?” 

“It’s… embarrassing,” Yamaguchi brushed him off, “and I shouldn’t think like that anyway.”

“Hey, it’s just me, Tadashi. You can tell me, I won’t judge at all, I promise.”

“I...feel kind of… working at a tech shop? Selling TVs and stuff? I…” he was struggling to find the right words to express his doubts, and looked at Tsukishima, puzzled at how to say it. “Do you… do you think you understand?”

Tsukishima adjusted his glasses and nodded. “I think so. You feel that somehow it’s not good enough? You’re nervous to say it because of course you have enormous respect for anyone else doing that kind of thing, especially Takinoue. But you’re worried it’s a disappointing kind of first job. Am I… close?” He explained Yamaguchi’s thoughts slowly, calmly illustrating exactly what the brunet was trying to get at.

“I… yeah, that’s… that’s basically it.” Yamaguchi sighed. “God, isn’t it _pathetic_?” he mumbled, mostly to himself.

“Absolutely not,” Tsukishima replied seriously. “Of course you didn't think about doing this kind of thing, and I know it sounds depressing but our first job probably won't be our dream one. That’s not embarrassing or pathetic at all, it’s really hard to get to grips with. It takes experience and age, unfortunately, to do most actual cool jobs.” He shrugged, a rueful expression on his face.

Yamaguchi sighed and lent back harder in his chair, frustrated. “That’s kind of easy for you to say. I, I mean, I’m sorry, but you got job offers from three volleyball clubs and the museum and the other shops, while I have a grand total of one job prospect. What am I supposed to think when you're playing professional fucking volleyball and I’m begging someone to buy a laptop?”

Tsukishima swallowed. “Okay, and Kagayama’s playing to a first division team and I’m not. But making the comparison is pointless, trying to equate any job like that doesn't make sense,” he answered earnestly. “I can’t do half the things you can, Yamaguchi.”

“And I can’t do a quarter of the things _you_ can, Tsukki!” Yamaguchi retorted, angry at himself for even getting into this discussion.

“That’s not true. We’re… different people, Tadashi, and I’m really glad for that, okay? Of course we have different skills and things we’re best at, that’s what makes us work. As a couple, and as individuals.” Tsukishima sighed. “Sorry, I’m talking too much about this,” he mumbled, looking at the ground.

“You’re really not. I get what you mean. It’s just...what I’m doing seems so uncool. Compared to you and the others, yeah, but also just to what I was hoping life out of uni would be like.”

Tsukishima shook his head. “Yeah, that’s courtesy of the society we have. It’s not your fault at all. It’s all bullshit honestly, just people telling you what to want and expect because it’s what _they_ want you to want and expect. For the record, I think you’d like it.”

Yamaguchi looked at him with slight surprise and tilted his head to question it.

“We can do a pros and cons list if you like, or whatever fits your style better. I don’t want to persuade you any which way. But you’d be talking to people pretty much all day and helping them out. And when you’re around the house you’re trying to tell me about the model of our radio and how the TV works. Imagine getting paid to do that.” Tsukishima shrugged and smiled gently at Yamaguchi.

The brunet smiled back, the explanation making a lot of sense. His boyfriend had been right earlier; their differences, in personality and the way they thought about things, was nearly always more beneficial than not. Having the other there to look at things from a different viewpoint, or reassure the other about what they were thinking was hugely important to Yamaguchi, and he knew Tsukishima felt the same.

“Did Takinoue pay you to say that?” he asked jokingly, grinning after reminiscing on their relationship briefly.

Tsukishima laughed quietly at that and shook his head.

Yamaguchi sighed. Why should he feel ashamed or awkward about something like that, just because it wasn't the stereotypically “cool” type of job that he’d thought about as a young kid? This wasn’t a be all and end all, and it sounded a good fit for him, now he thought about what the job entailed. And if something new and more exciting came along, his relationship with Shimada and Takinoue was a good one, so he’d still be able to quit.

“You convinced me, I think. I’ll take it.” Yamaguchi decided finally, giving Tsukishima a relieved and grateful smile for helping him get the problem off his chest.

Tsukishima smiled at him, seemingly relieved that Yamaguchi was less worried as well. “Yeah, that’s what your customers are going to be saying.”

  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi - thank you for reading!! 
> 
> i'll be updating this with more chapters about yams' antics at work and his friends helping him so i might end up adding in a couple character cameo type things? 
> 
> i'm yet to decide if this will have a strict plot arch or if it's just going to be be complaining about karens and capitalism through the thin veil of a haikyuu fanfic, or a mix of the two. whatever happens they'll be tsukkiyama fluff and that kind of thing, and hopefully some kinda humour. :D


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